The 7 Secrets That Define Your Outcomes
In Life’s Decisive Moments
by Rick Stecker
Tell me if this is true.
In the course of your life and career, you’ve encountered certain crucial, critical moments in which the choices you had in front of you, eventually proved pivotal to everything that came after. Perhaps even your prospects for success.
You knew then, or understood later, that the direction you took at that particular moment, the decision you made affected your fortunes, personally and professionally, both immediately and in the long term
Such big moments in your life might have included:
- Choosing a new home, or a new home city;
- Knowing it was time to propose, or to accept a proposal;
- Deciding on a career move, promotion, or job offer.
Other – less significant but no less impactful – moments might also have taken the spotlight, albeit temporarily.
Do you recall instances where some apparent incidental decision affected, adjusted, or even altered your course? For example:
- College courses you decided to take;
- Investments you made, or how you handled money;
- Friends you made, or those you chose to know;
- Business connections you pursued, or partners you associated with;
- Decisions you made to volunteer, or to give to your community.
It might not have been clear to you at the time, but later you understood that a great deal was at stake in those vital few moments, that it was a crossroads in your life.
Perhaps you even realized how every element that led you to that specific moment, was part of an even greater chain of events, even now still unfolding.
What might have happened had you taken the other path, or made a different choice? How might you have managed those pivotal situations different, or better, or had at least reacted with a clearer awareness when they arrived?
You can probably see now how everything going forward from those specific moments would have played out differently, had you made a different decision than the one you made.
Once you made your decision, the die was cast. For better or for worse, there was no going back.
Each of these was a moment when you reached a Key Defining Point that shaped your life, and set a path that led to outcomes you likely did not fully anticipate, if you foresaw them at all.
Identifying Your Defining Points
So, what exactly is a Defining Point?
A Defining Point describes a peak moment in your personal development, when a critical factor that offers apparent potential swings into action and demands a decision.
It is that mysterious moment when all of the influential forces in your life seem to converge in a instant of unprecedented clarity.
Or, it may simply be a moment when you discover more of who you are, your true potential, your authentic passion, and the real possibilities that await you.
The decision may or may not have been an easy one – but it was certainly inevitable, and unavoidable. These are peak moments that either spur you to action, or bog you down with indecision.
It is a place where you choose to either move forward to expand your future possibilities – or to leave those possibilities behind and stay mired in the mediocrity of the present.
When you enter a Defining Point, your future comes online, opens up an inspiring image and asks you to opt-in.
Your choice can spur you into a majestic leap forward, or if you opt-out, keep you confined in your current state.
However you describe it, your Defining Point always will come at a crucial moment in your affairs. Defining Points reveal events which exert a significant impact on the nature of who you are, and where you are going.
About the Author
Rick Stecker is a business coach, writer, and speaker helping entrepreneurs start and grow their businesses. Rick’s first job after college was as a reporter for a daily newspaper, where he says he was “… more Jimmy Olson than Clark Kent, and no Superman!”
What followed was 25 years in business and corporate communications at both the national and international levels. After a corporate buyout forced a career change, Rick collected his business experience, all the challenges faced, lessons learned, and questions asked, and built a coaching business, Grounds To Grow.
Rick’s first book “Making Choices Like A Champion” seeks to help others grow their capabilities, establish their personal and professional brand, and enhance their performance. Rick will soon be releasing his next book, “The Entrepreneur and the Secret Book of Business Branding – Revealing the Inner Secrets of Better Business Branding”. You can contact Rick here.